According to Aliaksei Paulouski, running for the Mahiliou City and Regional Councils, his election leaflet has been censored by the local printing house.

‘The Mahiliou Regional Printing House agreed to print my leaflets, but then problems appeared. The printing house’s manager agreed to print them only after I alter the text. I strongly objected that, for there was nothing illegal in it and I can account for every word. Then changed it themselves,’ says Mr. Paulouski.

The officials argued that part of the leaflet’s text formed an acrostic, spelling out the word ‘LUKU’ in bald type, thus allegedly hinting at the Belarusian President Lukashenka’s pejorative nickname ‘Luka’.

Aliaksei Paulouski believes that the officials are afraid of crossing the limits of permitted standards.

‘This can be called an arbitrary decision. If my materials contain anything illegal, they then should warn me, but only after the layout is printed,’ says the candidate.